Proposal Deadline: Wednesday, September 28, 2022
CCCC Summer Conferences are intended to foster and support the developing and sharing of innovative activities related to literacy learning. We invite proposals to host one of these conferences between May and August 2023. Up to two summer conference proposals will be funded for 2023. We encourage proposals for virtual conferences or for conferences that include a virtual participation option to accompany an in-person meeting.
Conference themes should align the CCCC Mission Statement and themes associated with the CCCC 2022 Strategic Vision.
Within these broad areas of focus, conference proposers are free to define the types of sessions they think will attract participants to their gatherings: traditional panels, roundtables, think tanks, working-/workshop-oriented sessions, ignite-oriented gatherings, flash/TED Talk–inspired presentations, or anything else.
CCCC Summer Conferences should be designed with an eye toward inviting new voices and a diverse range of scholars and scholarship and should share opportunities for community-building and research-based resources.
Conferences are intended to bring existing CCCC members together with potential new audiences who may not be able to who may not be able to attend the national CCCC Annual Convention (e.g., adjunct and contingent faculty, two-year faculty, high school teachers, etc.). Successful proposals should discuss how organizers will reach out to new populations. The conferences are intended, in part, to help attendees learn more about how CCCC can provide resources for them to grow as professionals. Conferences may be held over one or two days, depending on the financial resources of the sponsors.
Attendance at CCCC Summer Conferences is limited to CCCC members. Those who are not current CCCC members are welcome to attend, but they are expected to join the organization or renew their membership as part of their conference registration. Registration costs for the summer conferences should be free or nearly free: a primary purpose of these conferences is to make CCCC and its benefits more accessible to new and existing members.
In order to support the summer conferences, CCCC will provide:
- Up to $6,000 apiece to support planning and organizational costs associated with mounting up to two summer conferences in different regions of North America. This dollar amount should be used to cover costs associated with organizing and staging the conference. These costs may include stipends of up to $500/ea for up to two conference organizers. Organizers must also be CCCC members. Stipends may also be used for A/V, room rental or food, promotion, and so on. Proposers are encouraged to work with their home institutions to generate additional funding and/or minimize costs.
- Up to an additional $1,000 in travel and lodging expenses is allowed for a featured/keynote speaker who is a CCCC member.
- Resources for conference planning and periodic consultation with CCCC staff. Examples include hosting registration through the NCTE site, creating and implementing a conference communications plan, producing promotional materials, etc. Note that while consultation and hosting registration are available to conference organizers without charge, other items have costs associated with them that would need to be included in the conference’s $6,000 budget (e.g., creating and/or mailing promotional materials).
- Periodic and timely promotion of regional conferences via the CCCC website, general CCCC mass emails, and social media. This promotion will supplement, but should not be the major factor in, an overall communications plan for a conference.
- Organizers may submit a proposal for a session for the 2024 CCCC Annual Convention that grows out of the experience of the summer conference, whether a description of the event, a discussion of one or more issues extending from an experience, or another talk to help Convention attendees understand the experience of hosting the CCCC Summer Conference. These sessions will not count as “speaking roles” at the Convention, so summer conference organizers are free to also propose their own sessions to the Annual Convention. If such a session proposal is submitted and accepted to the program, registration costs for the following year’s CCCC Annual Convention for up to two conference organizers are available upon request.
Events are not intended to generate a profit. However, should there be a surplus with income exceeding expenses, surplus funds should be remitted to CCCC/NCTE after the conference.
Note for organizers: While organizers and presenters will own copyright to all materials associated with the conference (e.g., presentations, audio), CCCC would like to be the exclusive distributor of those videos, pictures, audio, etc., through its channels.
Proposals should include:
- A completed application addressing all questions outlined below.
- A communication plan describing how organizers will promote the conference in their region (see below).
- A detailed budget explaining how funds will be used.
Application Information
Proposals for CCCC Summer Conferences should include the following information in a document of no more than 6 double-spaced (11- or 12-point font) pages. Conference organizers must be members of CCCC at the time of proposal and when the Summer Conference takes place. Please submit final proposals as a single document in PDF format to cccc@ncte.org by 5:00 p.m. EDT Wednesday, September 28, 2022.
A sample application can be requested from cccc@ncte.org.
Downloadable Word version of application form.
Section 1: Conference logistics and focus
Name/affiliation of conference organizer(s):
Location of proposed conference:
Proposed theme or foci, if any:
Proposed structure for presentations (e.g., panels/roundtables; think tanks; flash/TED-style talks; mix; etc.):
How will you use locally available infrastructure (e.g., institutionally located conference services, department/college/university colleagues or staff, on-campus registration services, etc.) for your conference?
Will your institution provide financial or other assistance for your conference? Y/N
If yes, please describe:
Who will constitute the local arrangements committee? If more than one institution and/or committee is involved, please explain the distribution of responsibilities:*
Please provide a description of the accommodations and proposed meeting spaces, either virtual or face to face. In your description, address how you will:
- secure suitable meeting locations/rooms for presentations (including size and capacity of available rooms) or hosting capacity online
- arrange for technology (e.g., computers, projectors, internet connections) and on-site technical support or technology support for the online platform
- secure housing options for all participants for face-to-face proposals
- provide a guide to local eateries, attractions, and transportation for face-to-face proposals
- provide a website with details about the conference
- staff the registration table or manage the online platform
How do you anticipate handling conference registration?
___My institution will process conference registration
___I will need CCCC/NCTE to process conference registration
Please also address whether you will provide food and, if so, what meals or breaks and how you will accommodate dietary requests:
Please describe accommodations currently available or that you can make available to ensure that the venue and event will be accessible to those with sensory, mobility, or communication impairments:
Are there state, local, or campus policies in place that may inhibit the expression or limit participation of constituencies, including members of the LGBTQ+ community? Y/N
If yes, please describe how you will ensure that these constituencies will not be inhibited by these policies:
Note that all proposals should be attentive to the CCCC Convention Siting Guiding Principles:
In principle, CCCC will work to change state or local policies in host convention cities that diverge from established CCCC positions or otherwise threaten the safety or well-being of our membership. We will do so by consulting closely with local groups who share our principles and arranging activities and opportunities for members to support those who are disadvantaged by offensive policies or otherwise to use their presence in the offending state as a vehicle for nonviolent protest. We will vigorously communicate the methods of support and/or protest to the media, convention and tourist bureaus, and local and state government officials, with the avowed purpose of provoking policy change or supporting current policies threatened by hostile change. In general, we will follow this strategy of engagement rather than abrogating or canceling contracts for future conventions as a method of protesting existing or future legislation.
*Note that regional organizers are responsible for coordinating housing registration if your conference is using on-site housing.
Section 2: Communications Plan
In your region, who is likely to be interested in presenting at/attending your conference, and why?
In what ways will the conference attract a diverse group of participants?
What kind of outreach activities will you use to attract a diverse group of participants?
Where will the webpage for your conference be hosted?
CCCC can provide a limited number of services to support your meeting. Please indicate which, if any, of the following you are likely to need:
___Regional mailing labels
___Emails to regional members. Please indicate the number of emails anticipated (1–3, 4–6, 7–9, 10 or more)
___Flier produced and mailed by CCCC/NCTE. Note that this will incur additional cost and will be deducted from the $6,000 support provided to the local site.
___Other (please describe)
What assistance do you most anticipate needing to mount a successful conference?
